CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998, which killed 224 people. Terrorist group al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombings. Facts The bombings took place eight years to the day after US troops were ordered to Saudi Arabia in the
Continue ReadingCNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of award-wining filmmaker, philanthropist and environmentalist Robert Redford. Personal Birth date: August 18, 1936 Birth place: Santa Monica, California Birth name: Charles Robert Redford Jr. Father: Charles Redford Sr., an accountant Mother: Martha (Hart) Redford Marriages: Sibylle Szaggars (July 11, 2009-present); Lola Van Wagenen
Continue ReadingJACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The former head of a north Florida public utility was sentenced to four years in prison for a scheme to privatize the authority which prosecutors said would have enriched himself and his associates by tens of millions of dollars at the expense of taxpayers. Aaron Zahn was sentenced to federal prison
Continue ReadingAssociated Press New federal protections for transgender students at U.S. schools and colleges have launched, but not everywhere. Most Republican-led states challenged the rule from President Joe Biden’s administration, took effect Thursday. In response, judges have blocked enforcement in 21 states plus hundreds of individual schools and colleges. Some states already have policies that protect
Continue ReadingAP National Writer Every few years when the Olympics would roll around, the unmistakable pangs Jen Castellano knew were coming but was powerless to stop would hit. Of chalk on her hands. The beam underneath her feet. The sounds and smell of a packed gym. The intoxicating mix of frustration, determination and joy while trying
Continue ReadingLJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — A Russian couple arrested on spying charges in December 2022 have pleaded guilty and were sentenced in the Slovenian capital to 19 months in prison each and released on time served. The Ljubljana court Wednesday also banned the sleeper agents from returning to Slovenia for a period of five years. The
Continue ReadingAP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — The Dutch beach volleyball player who served time in prison after he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in England has won his second match at the Paris Olympics. Steven van de Velde received an even harsher reaction from the crowd on Wednesday than for his first match.
Continue ReadingBERLIN (AP) — The German city of Gelsenkirchen, which temporarily renamed itself “Swiftkirchen” before the American superstar played three concerts there in mid-July, says it received about 1,400 bids from Germany and abroad for signs it put up with the name. The new name was one of a flurry of fan attractions around the concerts
Continue ReadingKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s air force says Ukrainian forces shot down all 89 Shahed drones launched by Russia in a nighttime attack on the country, in what was one of the largest drone barrages this year. No damage or injuries were immediately reported in the bombardment, which mostly targeted the region of Kyiv, the
Continue ReadingCHICAGO (AP) — John Mangum has been hired to succeed Anthony Freud as general director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The 49-year-old Mangum had been CEO of the Houston Symphony since April 2018. He previously worked at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and Philharmonic
Continue ReadingBRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida ballerina has been convicted of manslaughter in the 2020 shooting death of her estranged husband. Court records show that a Manatee County jury returned the guilty verdict late Tuesday against Ashley Benefield. She had been charged with second-degree murder, but the jurors opted for a lesser offense. The
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer U.S. health officials are warning that several types of ground cinnamon sold at certain discount and specialty grocery stores are contaminated with high levels of lead. The Food and Drug Administration issued alerts for at least 10 types of packaged ground cinnamon sold at Dollar Tree, Patel Brothers, Eurogrocery and other stores
Continue ReadingSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting in federal court that she kidnapped and killed a pregnant Arkansas woman in what prosecutors say was an attempt to claim her baby. Amber Waterman of Pineville, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count each of kidnapping
Continue ReadingSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting in federal court that she kidnapped and killed a pregnant Arkansas woman in what prosecutors say was an attempt to claim her baby. Amber Waterman of Pineville, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count each of kidnapping
Continue ReadingAssociated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled the state’s death penalty is legal. All five justices agreed Wednesday with at least part of the ruling, opening the door to restart executions in a state that hasn’t put an inmate to death since 2011. South Carolina’s death penalty now includes
Continue ReadingAssociated Press/Report for America ATLANTA (AP) — During the Civil Rights Movement, young people put their bodies on the line as Freedom Riders, boarding buses to protest segregation. One of those riders spoke to young leaders in Atlanta as Democrats adjust to the entry of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. Her campaign
Continue ReadingBy Holly Yan and Andy Rose, CNN (CNN) — While California battles the fifth-largest wildfire in state history, a trio of wildfires near Denver has forced hundreds of evacuations and claimed at least one life. Here’s the latest on a barrage of blazes burning in several western states: • Colorado’s Stone Canyon Fire turns deadly:
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (AP) — A demagogue and religious fanatics impose a theocracy. What sounds like a ripped-from-the-headlines 21st century story portrayed by Giacomo Meyerbeer 175 years ago in “Le Prophète” was brought back in a compelling production by Bard’s SummerScape festival. A success at Paris’ Salle Le Peletier in 1849, “Le Prophète” became
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday asked Venezuela’s high court to conduct an audit of the presidential election after opposition leaders disputed his claim of victory, drawing criticism from foreign observers who said the court is too close to the government to produce an independent review. Maduro told reporters that
Continue ReadingAP Film Writer The second part of Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga” will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, organizers said Wednesday. “Chapter Two” was originally set for a mid-August theatrical debut but was pulled from the schedule after “Chapter One” underperformed. The continuation of the Western epic will
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